The "bridge is burned." All-Pro cornerback Ty Law does not want to play another game for the Patriots.

Citing "irreconcilable differences," Law said he has told Patriots coach Bill Belichick and vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli his desire to play somewhere else after being "lied to" about their intentions, according to the Boston Globe.

"Right now, it's not about money," Law told the Globe this week. "That bridge is burned. I no longer want to be a Patriot. I can't even see myself putting on that uniform again, that's how bad I feel about playing here."

Law is under contract with the Pats for two more seasons, and wants an extension that would make him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. He is due to earn $6.15 million in salary and a $1 million reporting bonus this year, and $8.75 million in salary plus another $1 million reporting bonus next season.

He has asked the Pats to allow him to buy out his contract. They have declined, according to the Globe.

Last month Law called the Patriots' four-year, $26 million offer "an insult" and "a slap in the face." Law told the Globe this week that he thought negotiations would continue, but the team told him they would carry Law's $10 million salary cap figure into next season.

"They told me they didn't want to insult Ty anymore, so they're not going to submit any more offers," Carl Poston, Law's agent, told the Globe.

When Poston made the Pats a seven-year, $63 million counteroffer that included $20 million to sign and $28 million over the first three years, Pioli reportedly responded with something to effect of "We can't do that. Save the paper."

"They told me one thing and did another," Law told the Globe. "They said we were going to talk. All of a sudden, negotiations are off. 'We're just going to keep it the way it is for this year.' No. It ain't going to be 'for this year.' I don't want no 'just for this year.' I don't want no years at all. Actually, I don't want a contract extension anymore because I no longer want to be a New England Patriot. I'm drop-dead serious about not wanting to be a part of this organization anymore."

This is not the first time Law has asked to be let go. Law told the Globe he asked Belichick to place him on the 2002 expansion list, which was due days after the Pats' Super Bowl XXXVI victory.

Trading Law or releasing him before June 1 would come with a cap hit of $5.4 million, or the remaining prorated portion of his signing bonus. If the Patriots cut him after June 1, the cap hit this year would be $2.7 million, and the $2.7 million acceleration would be applied to the 2005 cap.

"I can't do a thing about it but express my displeasure about playing for this organization," Law told the Globe. "I'll go to training camp. I've got bonuses for going to training camp. I'm just saying it won't be a comfortable working atmosphere. It's not a reason to hold out. I get $1 million just to show up. Who wouldn't show up for $1 million? The money ain't the thing, because I have that. Then again, I'm not going to sit here and say I don't want $7 million, either. That's stupid. Hell, we all gotta eat.

"I'll go out there and play my game. I'm not saying I'm going to be the best guy to be around or your favorite guy to talk to. But I'm not going to hurt my teammates and I'm not going to hurt myself. I'm going to go out there and play football, because if you want to pay $7 million to a guy that really doesn't want to be here, OK, this is business. Fine. You don't have to like your boss to work and do your job well."

The Patriots' offer essentially would guarantee Law $15.6 million over the next two years ($6.6 million bonus, salaries of $4 million this year and $5 million next year), according to the Globe. His current contract calls for him to earn $16.9 million over the next two seasons.

"I would be a fool to take less than what I already make," Law told the newspaper. "So you're telling me, if I make $17 million over the next two years, if I'm a Patriot, I'm going to accept $15.6 million? That's a pay cut. I said it a thousand times, I'm not taking no pay cut. No. ... If this is a business and you can't afford to pay me what I deserve to be paid, that's fine. I have no problem with that. But let me go out there and earn the salary that I deserve and let me get the commitment from another team because I deserve more than just a one-year deal."

******

So no Ted Washington, and Law wants out. But the Pats still have four picks in the first two rounds, so they're not doing too badly.

-Jag

(edited by Jaguar on 13.3.04 1455)The Bad Boys of PunctuationAdd liberally to any post for best results

Fuck you Ty Law. With the money you make my family and the next 3 generations coming would be able to eat. Don't fucking talk about the principles and it not being the money. It is the money so fess up and say it ya greedy bastard.

Fuck you Ty Law. With the money you make my family and the next 3 generations coming would be able to eat. Don't fucking talk about the principles and it not being the money. It is the money so fess up and say it ya greedy bastard.

Well put. Law can feed a small starving nation with the money he's made, so I've got to wonder if he realizes what a tool he was for saying that. Moronic Quote of the Year, I say.

Well, I dunno about his attitude, but I know he beat the living shit out of us in the AFC Championship Game, so let's get 'im!

His comment about “we all gotta eat” makes me want to give him the finger, but if he can help the Colts win a championship without hurting the team's unity at all, let's do it. God knows the Colts are so far content to stand pat in the free-agent market.

“Chris Benoit, finally, is the Heavyweight Champion of this world!”--Jim Ross, WrestleMania XX

Weiner of the Day Title History:

Won the title on 5/27/02 from Lunacy in a hardcore match; lost the belt the following day to wheresitat42 via offbeat shenanigans

Regained the title on 7/3/02 by pinning SKLOKAZOID in a triple-threat match; lost the belt the next day to NickBockwinkelFan via heel chicanery

"I'll go to training camp.... I get $1 million just to show up. Who wouldn't show up for $1 million? The money ain't the thing, because I have that. Then again, I'm not going to sit here and say I don't want $7 million, either. That's stupid. Hell, we all gotta eat."

Talk about contradicting yourself in the same paragraph. And I don't know what this guy eats, but I think a couple of million dollars could cover it FOR THE NEXT 60 YEARS!!

Seriously, all this guy ever did at Michigan is bitch (when he wasn't tipping Hail Marys to Michael Westbrook), even when he was winning. Now the same thing is happening in NE. Expect the same thing at the next team he goes to...

I can understand why the guy would be pissed at being asked to take a pay cut given his on field performances, but he really needs to think about getting someone to write his shit for him when it comes to press conferences. I'm sure theres plenty of players in the league who are utterly driven by money, but to come out with the 'I gotta eat' shit? Thats really dumb as well as being entirely dickish.

Good luck to him finding a team that wants to give him that sort of money. Teams in need of big money CB's have more or less made their moves (Winfield, Bailey, Vincent etc) and I dont see anyone out there willing to write the guy a blank cheque. Can't say I'll shed a tear for the guy if he has to stay in NE though.

This is going to be a pretty big hit to the Pats when he leaves because after Law there is Tyrone Poole and then a bunch of first year guys. The schemes are good enough that they can survive losing Law, but if Harrison can't come back %100 at the saftey spot then there will be problems. Belichick can only keep plugging in 'no names' and 'has beens' for so long ... or is he really that much of a genius after all!?!

Originally posted by EastCoastJoeThis is going to be a pretty big hit to the Pats when he leaves because after Law there is Tyrone Poole and then a bunch of first year guys. The schemes are good enough that they can survive losing Law, but if Harrison can't come back %100 at the saftey spot then there will be problems. Belichick can only keep plugging in 'no names' and 'has beens' for so long ... or is he really that much of a genius after all!?!

Plus, ESPNNews was reporting earlier that NE is looking like the favorite in the John Lynch sweepstakes. If that is in fact true, I think they'd be pretty well set w/o Ty. Let's not forget, though, that he IS still under contract with the Pats for this coming season. He's just not being resigned in advance for an insane amount of money like he wants. So, this year for him will be a contract year and, at the age of 30, you know he's going to have to perform if he wants to make that doguh elsewhere...

I'd like to see him on the Eagles somehow, especially since the loss of Taylor and Vincent, and the lack of experience of Brown/Sheppard. With a lot of cap room, they can afford him, but what will it take to get him? The Pats obviously would need something big in return for him, and why would they take the large cap hit if they do, indeed, release him?

Gravity is a contributing factor in nearly 73 percent of all accidents involving falling objects.

Originally posted by BOSsportsfan342. Last year Law was the 3rd highest player in the NFL behind Bret Favre and Peyton Manning.

I'm sure Mike Anderson was meant to have been higher than any of them

Law's pissed because he has 2 years left and can't cash in on a big money deal as a free agent.

The Patriots' offer essentially would guarantee Law $15.6 million over the next two years ..... his current contract calls for him to earn $16.9 million over the next two seasons.

Given that I would say he's got every right to poo poo the new contract. Just because he's loaded doesn't mean he should turn his back on over a million bucks.

As for him coming to the Eagles, I'd rather we didn't go near him. He's a heck of a player but we managed OK without Vincent and Taylor this year and Reid's gonna have enough trouble keeping TO chipper without adding another ego to the team.

I guess this means I won't be picking up a #24 Ty Law jersey at the Pro Shop. Every time I pick a sports hero, they shit all over my team and the fans. Why do the most talented players have to be the biggest jerks? I want my childhood back when salaries and contracts just weren't discussed and analyzed.How much is enough money???Have to eat???Eat this!!I'm disgusted.

Cornerback Ty Law ripped into Patriots coach Bill Belichick on the James Brown Show on Sporting News Radio, saying the coach is "paid to lie sometimes, because that's how he supports his family."

Law says he can't imagine returning to the Super Bowl-champion Patriots after how the recent negotiations over a contract extension have gone. "I don't feel comfortable in this place," Law said. " If people think that it can just be resolved with money, it can't."

Excerpts from the interview, which will air Thursday at 10 a.m. ET on the James Brown Show.

James Brown: "Where did things go wrong in that discussion with Bill Belichick?"

Ty Law: "It first went wrong when he asked me if I wanted to be there. I specifically told him that I want to be there, if he wants me to be. I don't want to be there if he doesn't look at me as a player to keep around for the future. It's plain and simple. No problem. No hard feelings. ...

"Throughout the conversation, I realized more and more that they had no intentions of letting me retire as a New England Patriot. That's when I knew I had to do something about it. It's unfair to me, to come in for a one-year deal, when within the organization, I was told that they had no intentions for me to play that well. People in the front office, the back office, within the organization, I don't want to say any name in particular, they told me, 'Ty, no matter what happens, especially after what happened to Lawyer (Milloy), you're out there auditioning for 29 other teams. You know how they operate around here and we wish you the best.'

"I don't feel comfortable in this place. I don't feel like this is a situation that either of us can prosper from. It's best for us to break ties and move forward, no problem. I had nine great years as a Patriot. Personally, behind the scenes it has not been all that great all the time. ... I knew for the last two years, possibly three, that they were just waiting for me to go down, waiting for me not to have the type of year that I had, so they can justify letting me go. When that comes from so deep in the organization and you still have to play up on it, because I'm obligated to that contract, that's just uncomfortable for me."

James Brown: "Is this a situation that's reconcilable, can this be resolved?"

Ty Law: "It can't. If people think that it can just be resolved with money, it can't. Like I said, I'm willing to give them money. Instead of you paying me my salary I'll pay you, and free up $23 million for you. It's definitely not about money and I don't think it can be reconciled. That's not what I am out for. I have that already. It can't be a comfortable working atmosphere. I think we just need to part ways while we're ahead. We can leave out as champions on both ends."

James Brown: "Did Lawyer Milloy tell you at any point during the season to expect the same thing to happen to you? If not, were you expecting this day to come?"

Ty Law: "He definitely said to expect same thing. I knew every conversation that they had. He feels that Coach Belichick lied to him too, to his face. I guess you get paid to lie sometimes, because that's how he supports his family. Actually, I already knew the situation with Lawyer and we thought that maybe I would go first."

James Brown: "What is your defense, Ty Law, that you are not a selfish person at all? Are there any examples that you can point definitively to?"

Ty Law: (sarcastically) "Yes, if I'm selfish, to give you a good example is when after our Super Bowl run, Tom Brady was going through his whole contract thing. It was beginning to become a major distraction through our championship. This was the first Super Bowl. So, I myself, without anybody asking me, without anyone contacting my agent, I went to Coach Belichick myself.

"After one of the practices I told Coach if he needed some help; I understand that I have a high cap number, one of the higher cap numbers on the team. In order to put this under the table, I said 'I know you guys are working to get Tom Brady done and a couple of other guys, I will re-work some of my numbers for you no problem. As long as I'm making my money that I am supposed to make this year, then go ahead and rework some of these numbers so you can get these guys done and we can defend our championship.' "

James Brown: "Wait a minute, you went to them and offered to rework your deal, so they could sign Tom Brady and others?"

Ty Law: "Right. I went to him (Belichick). He didn't come to me. I offered my contract, my money, to help the team. People don't hear about that. After all that went on, we talked a little bit and he said we are going to try to work on it. Then he came to me during the Pittsburgh game that week. He tapped me on the shoulder at breakfast and said, 'I need to take to you up on that offer.' So, I said, 'Fine, no problem.' I can't remember if Tom was done at the time or what, but he needed to work the numbers to get some guys signed. That's when I reworked $2.7 million of my salary. I reworked it and I played with it. I didn't say, 'Give it to me now,' like a lot of guys do. ...

"I did that and he took me up on that. Nothing else was ever said about that, but now, I am a selfish player. That was strictly for the team, but now it's come down to me being able to protect myself. All that I am asking them to do, is at the time, if they wanted me there, prove me wrong for what I have already known and what everyone has told me prior to us having that discussion. To quote, but I can not give a name, 'He did not expect you to play as well as you did.' "

And each time he opens his mouth to a hand-picked cadre of sympathetic chroniclers, the words get more venomous.

Giving new meaning to the term "press corner," Law hit the national airwaves on Sporting News Radio yesterday. While there, the cornerback who's put the grunt in disgruntled said of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, "I guess you get paid to lie sometimes, because that's how he supports his family."

Even for a man such as Belichick, who's notoriously slow to rise to the bait, Law is getting harder to ignore. At what point does the organization go from slow burn to boil over Law's over-the-line words?

What's going on between Law and the Patriots is virtually unprecedented in these parts. It's a full-frontal assault in a transparent effort to force the Patriots to release him. Law obviously figures that if he can get the Patriots to fire him, he can then grab some open-market money while teams are still throwing it around.

So dignity be damned, the 30-year-old, four-time Pro Bowl player sees nothing wrong with libeling a man he openly lobbied the Krafts to hire in 2000.

Law has called Belichick a liar in so many different forums now, it may already be forgotten what the lie allegedly is. For fun, let's review. In Law's initial salvo in The Boston Globe two weeks ago, he said the Patriots agreed to negotiate with him for a new contract. He found the offer the Patriots made insulting. His agent came back with a new offer that the Patriots quickly dismissed. The Patriots then pushed away from the table and told Law they were content to let him play for his 2004 salary of $7 million.

So he was lied to because he didn't like what he heard? Law's definition of a lie is as deficient as his definition of insulting.

Then again, logic apparently is on holiday for Law.

Further evidence? Here is an exchange between Law and Sporting News Radio host James Brown during the big radio show:

"After our Super Bowl run (in 2001), Tom Brady was going through his whole contract thing (before the 2002 season). It was beginning to become a major distraction through our championship. This was the first Super Bowl. So I, myself, without anybody asking me, without anyone contacting my agent, I went to coach Belichick myself. After one of the practices I told coach if he needed some help, I understand that I have a high cap number, one of the higher cap numbers on the team. In order to put this under the table, I said, 'I know you guys are working to get Tom Brady done and a couple of other guys; I will rework some of my numbers for you, no problem. As long as I'm making my money that I am supposed to make this year, then go ahead and rework some of these numbers so you can get these guys done and we can defend our championship.' "

Interjecting here just to clarify, Ty Law -- great philanthropist -- was so selfless he allowed the Patriots to turn some of his salary from 2002 (nonguaranteed money) into guaranteed money. It's basically allowing the Patriots to put money in Law's back pocket instead of his front pocket. It's laughable. He's trying to make a point of showing he's not a greedy money-grubber, and in doing so he drops in the phrase, "As long as I'm making my money that I am supposed to make this year."

Somehow, Brown found this to be akin to funding a new library.

This was his follow-up question: "Wait a minute, you went to them and offered to rework your deal so they could sign Tom Brady and others?"

"Right. I went to him (Belichick)," Law continued. "He didn't come to me. I offered my contract, my money, to help the team. People don't hear about that. After all that went on, we talked a little bit and he said we are going to try to work on it. Then he came to me during the Pittsburgh game that week. He tapped me on the shoulder at breakfast and said, 'I need to take you up on that offer.' So, I said, 'Fine, no problem.' I can't remember if Tom was done at the time or what, but he needed to work the numbers to get some guys signed. That's when I reworked $2.7 million of my salary. I reworked it and I played with it. I didn't say, 'Give it to me now,' like a lot of guys do. . . . I did that and he took me up on that. Nothing else was ever said about that, but now I am a selfish player. That was strictly for the team, but now it's come down to me being able to protect myself."

Law has now unloaded locally, in USA Today and on national radio. It probably won't be long now before Tom Arnold and Ty are having a meeting of the minds on national talk TV.

The Patriots have shown in the past they have a cast-iron stomach when it comes to this stuff. They tolerated Terry Glenn until they got a fourth-round pick for him from Green Bay. But Law's flapping his gums a lot more than Glenn ever did. And it's only March. The tour is just getting warmed up. And the Patriots are still on a low simmer.

I would hate for the Pats to hold on to him for much longer, but I would also hate for the Pats to get nothing for him. Regardless I doubt there will be a near team mutiny this time around. Law is making it hard for even teammates to come out and back him on this.